CVE-2015-4041

Name: CVE-2015-4041
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-01-24T17:15:12.5+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

HIGHCVSS 7.8/10EPSS 0.52%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2015-4041 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 7.8/10 on the CVSS scale. The keycompare_mb function in sort.c in sort in GNU Coreutils through 8.23 on 64-bit platforms performs a size calculation without considering the number of bytes occupied by multibyte characters, which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer overflow and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via long UTF-8 strings.. EPSS estimates a 0.52% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

The keycompare_mb function in sort.c in sort in GNU Coreutils through 8.23 on 64-bit platforms performs a size calculation without considering the number of bytes occupied by multibyte characters, which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (heap-based buffer overflow and application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via long UTF-8 strings.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.8/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.52%

40.3th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-787

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Gnu	Coreutils	<= 8.23

References

http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/05/15/1Exploit, Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=928749Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/pixelb/coreutils/commit/bea5e36cc876ed627bb5e0eca36fdfaa6465e940Patch
http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/05/15/1Exploit, Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=928749Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/pixelb/coreutils/commit/bea5e36cc876ed627bb5e0eca36fdfaa6465e940Patch

Timeline

Published: Jan 24, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2015-4041?

How severe is CVE-2015-4041?

CVE-2015-4041 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.52% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2015-4041?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2015-4041?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST